Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Happy mid-September!

 

If you have any energy and inclination left for plants and mulch we’d love you to join us for one or more of the following three working bees happening this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Details below:

-         This Friday 16^th of September, the regular Ida Street working bee is moving for 1 week only to a site just down from Golf Road, north side of the Merri Creek, between Newlands Road and where the Edgars meets the Merri, Coburg. The time for this is 9.30 – 11.30 am at https://goo.gl/maps/gNfExQcxkCgrxkk5A just down from Gold Road, north side of the Merri Creek, between Newlands Road and where the Edgars meets the Merri, Coburg North North https://goo.gl/maps/gNfExQcxkCgrxkk5A Please bring gloves and we will be planting mostly She-oaks into the jute mat that has been laid out on the slope.

-         This Saturday 17th of September from 3 – 4.30 pm we will be planting out some beautiful flowering ground covers at the eastern end of Spry Street, Coburg North https://goo.gl/maps/Q6GDGi8ZYdpTpeCS7 Please bring gloves and a digging shovel if you have one, plus some food to share for afternoon tea afterward.

-         This Sunday 18^th of September from 9.30 -11.30 am we will be back at Coburg High school mulching around the roundabout at the front entrance of the school and also around the plants that went in last year, south of the basketball courts https://goo.gl/maps/eBEwmUnWJQADQAzi9 Please bring gloves, mulching forks and wheelbarrows if you have them.

Look forward to seeing you at one or all of these events and then looking forward to a bit of a rest after them! Come Monday we will have put in over 3,000 plants this planting season, which is a mighty effort. Well done and thanks to all that have helped out!

 

Take care,

Emma

 

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Please let me know if you would like to be removed from the Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds mailing list J

 

Planting & Working Bee

Deep Winter Greetings!

 

There is more planting happening and mulching and we’d love you to join us.

 

We will be planting at the regular Friday, 9.30 am – 11.30 am working bee tomorrow, meet on the creek at the eastern end of Ida Street, Coburg North. Bring your gloves and a spade if you have one. Planting will be happening at this regular weekly working bee that is led by Ian, through the rest of August and September, so feel free to join any Friday morning, 9.30 – 11.30 am.

 

Saturday (13/8/22) 9.30 am – 12.30 pm, we will be back at Coburg High School to do a little bit of planting and a lot of mulching. All are welcome to join for as long as suits. Please bring gloves, mulching forks, wheel barrows and old newspapers and cardboard (to go under the mulch) if you have them. Meet at the main entrance of the school, which is off Urqhart Street, Coburg.

Hopefully see you at one of these events or on the creek!

 

Take care,

Emma

 

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Please let me know if you would like to be removed from the Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds mailing list J

 

Friends of Coburg Lake Planting

Hello, fellow carers and lovers of Merri Creek,

The planting season is now in full swing and we’d love you to join us!

Next Wednesday, 3^rd of August from 9.30 – 11.30 am, meet at the Rocky Outcrop at Coburg Lake (north side of lake between the toilets and the Flying Fox park) for some infill planting into this special site that we have been working on for now more than 5 years. A regular working bee happens at this site, 1^st Wednesday of every month and is led by Zoe, all are welcome to join and again bring your gloves, a shovel and old newspapers and cardboard if you have them.

See you there or on the creek!

Take care,

Emma

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Bird Survey

Greetings!

 

For those of you that would like to learn more about birds, or are already avid bird watchers, you might want to join the Friends of Merri Creek Birdwatch survey which will be happening at Coburg Lake on Sunday 8 May (next Sunday). Meet in Lake Grove car park near Harry Atkinson Centre, Coburg. No need to register beforehand. Beginner-birders are welcome, as well as experienced birders. Bring binoculars if you have them, and closed-in footwear, sun hat or raingear if necessary, and drinking water. No dogs, please. Keep an eye out for snakes, especially if walking through grass near water.

Also, in addition to our two regular working bees which are listed below, we also have an additional session this month at Coburg Lake Rocky Outcrop (north side of lake, just down from De Chene Pde) on Wednesday 25^th of May from 10 am – 12 noon. This session will be run in partnership with Friends of the Merri Creek Wednesday Volunteers, Moreland Council and Merri Creek Management Committee. The meeting spot is marked in red on this google map.

Our regular working bees, to which all are welcome:

1.      Wednesday 4^th of May, and 1^st Wednesday of every month at the Rocky Outcrop at Coburg Lake, from 9.30 am – 10.30 am, led by Zoe. This site is on the north side of the lake,  just down from De Chene Pde, Coburg North and between the toilets and the flying fox playground,.

2.      Friday from 9.30 – 11.30 am at the eastern end of Ida Street, Coburg North, on the creek, led by Ian.

 

See you on the creek!

 

Warm regards,

 

Emma

 

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Working Bee at Coburg Lake this Wednesday

Happy Autumn,

 

Just a reminder that Zoe will be leading a 1-hour working bee (weeding and mulching) at Coburg Lake this Wednesday, 6^th of April from 9.30 – 10.30 am. Meet at the Rocky Outcrop at Coburg Lake. This site is on the north side of the lake,  just down from De Chene Pde, Coburg North, and between the toilets and the flying fox playground. Turn up if you are keen and please bring gloves and cardboard or newspapers if you have them. This working bee happens on the first Wednesday of every month from 9.30 – 10.30 am.

 

Also, don’t forget, Ian leads a working bee at the eastern end of Ida Street, Coburg North (Grevillea Corner), every Friday from 9.30 – 11.30 am. Again, turn up if you are keen and please bring gloves.

 

Lastly, thanks to all of you who voted for the Merri Creek Trail: Seating Installation Blitz, fingers crossed that this project will get funded,

 

Cheers,

Emma

 

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Hello!

 

Thanks to those of you that were able to join our Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds planning session last Friday. We have now identified the sites that we will continue to work on in 2022 as well as a couple of new sites. Our plant order has gone in, and we are keen in addition to planting and looking after the sites we have planted out, to focus a bit more on creating some signage to help people know what plants we have been planting. On Friday 11^th of March at our regular Friday working bee at the eastern end of Ida Street, Coburg North, we will be painting stakes with the names of some of the plants that are close to the path, so join us if this is your thing!

 

We now have two regular working bees happening that you can join in on any time and these are:

 

1.       Friday from 9.30 – 11.30 am at the eastern end of Ida Street, Coburg North, on the creek, led by Ian.

2.       1^st Wednesday of every month (that is this Wednesday coming up) at the Rocky Outcrop at Coburg Lake, from 9.30 am – 10.30 am, led by Zoe. This site is on the north side of the lake,  just down from De Chene Pde, Coburg North, and between the toilets and the flying fox playground,.

 

We are hoping to organise some other planting, weeding, and mulching sessions that you can join in on, so stay tuned for future dates.

 

Look forward to seeing you on the creek!

 

Take care,

Emma

 

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

 

Community Planting Day

Hello Fellow Creek Carers and Planters,

 

It has been a while since we have had a community planting day, care of COVID-19, but we now have one coming up on Wednesday 26^th of May from 10 am – 12 noon at the Rocky Outcrop at Coburg Lake. 

 

This planting is being organised in conjunction with the Merri Creek Wednesday Volunteers, Moreland Council and Merri Creek Management Committee.  We will be infill planting into a site we have been working on for over 4 years. If you are free and would like to join us, please meet at 10:00 am at the Rocky Outcrop on the northern side of Coburg Lake, between the public toilets and the De Chene Playground (flying fox park) or large person sculpture. 

 

If coming by car, park on De Chene Pde, Coburg North and walk down towards the steps that lead you down to the creek and lake. If coming by bike, the bike path on this side of the lake runs up alongside to the rocky outcrop and planting site.  See map https://goo.gl/maps/tFW72saJoCKebR2Y6

Please also see COVID Event Checklist Wed VOLs 26^th May 21 (attached) and BYO gloves to be Covid safe.  All other tools and plants will be provided.

 

And for those of you that would really love to do some planting but can’t make this day, we will have another planting coming up at Coburg High School on Sunday 6^th of June from 10.30 am – 12.30 pm.  Plus, if you are super keen, you can always join me and a small band of others of a Sunday morning, or adopt a specific site that you love or visit often to look after.  If either of the latter ideas resonate with you, let me know.

 

Take care and hope to see you on Wednesday 16^th of May at 10 am.

 

Warm regards,

Emma

 

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Hello fellow planters and carers of the creek.

Care of our new heightened requirements for social distancing we are cancelling our monthly weeding, mulching and planting morning at Coburg Lake, that would have started today at 9.30 am.

If you would still like to help hand weed this site, or any of the others we have been revegetating over the last 10 years along the creek corridor between Coburg Lake and Goleen Street, please feel free to do so by yourself.  If doing so, please ensure that you keep a safe 1.5 metres away from the Merri Creek path, to reduce our risks of close contact and transmission of COVID-19.

If you do want to adopt a patch or area to hand weed along our beautiful Merri Creek, knowing what is and isn’t a weed can sometimes be tricky, especially when it comes to native grasses and groundcover plants.  I encourage you to err on the side of caution, i.e. if you are not sure, please leave it in the ground.  You can also take a photo and email it to me and I can try and help you identify it, or get help to identify it for you.

I hope you all stay safe, lots of hand washing, social distancing, eating healthy food and finding ways to get in some exercise and keep mentally and emotionally well,

Take care.

Emma x

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Hello fellow planters and carers of the creek,

If you want some grounding activity in these rapidly changing and unsettling times you can join Zoe Asher at the rocky outcrop planting site, northern side of Coburg Lake, off De Chene Pde and between the toilets and the flying fox park, on the 4^th Wednesday of every month.  Zoe will be there for 1 hour between 9.30 am – 10.30 am.  Next week, Wednesday 25^th of March Zoe will be weeding, but in the future she will be doing some mulching and planting as well.

Please don’t join Zoe if you are feeling unwell and meant to be in isolation.  Also, please feel free to weed and work a deemed safe 1.5 m apart, bring your own gloves, tools, snacks and drinks, and no hugs and hand shaking - we now all know the deal.

This site at Coburg Lake is one that we have planted out the last 3 years running and it is really starting to look great.

Take care.

Emma x

Emma Hopkins

Founder of Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

m: 0490 368 209    e: emma_hopkins@optusnet.com.au

Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Autumn Greetings!

The planting season has now begun.  To join in the fun, enjoy a BBQ and help continue to transform our treasured Merri Creek Corridor come along to the World Environment Day planting, just east of Coburg Lake, meeting at the Edgars Creek Parkland, details below.

When: Sunday 2^nd of June from 10 am – 12 noon

Where: Meet at the end of Nola St, Coburg North, at Edgars Creek Parkland, just east of Coburg Lake (Melway Map 17 K10).

Please wear appropriate clothing for the outdoors including sturdy, closed toe shoes.  Tools and equipment will be provided and a free BBQ will follow on from the planting.

For more information contact:

Moreland City Council’s Natural Resource Management Officer

Vince Andreana 0449 060 866

vandreana@moreland.vic.gov.au

Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Hello fellow carers of the creek,

Our annual planting day at Coburg Lake, with Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds and Moreland Council, is happening in just under 2 weeks, on:

Saturday August 18^th, 10:30 am-12:30 pm

We will be extending the planting we have been doing around the rocky outcrop between the newish toilet block and flying fox park on the DeChene Pde side of the lake.  If you have time, it would be great if you could join us to plant some plants and move some mulch.

 Please wear suitable clothing and sturdy, closed toe shoes

 Tools and equipment provided

 The planting will be followed by light refreshments and if you like baking, please feel free to bring some of your baking along to share!

Meet at the site, just off DeChene Pde Coburg Nth.

For more information contact:

Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Emma Hopkins: ph 0490 368 209

or

Moreland City Council

John Castelow: ph 0410 528 017

Warm regards,

Emma.

Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds

Just a quick reminder that our planting day at Coburg Lake is tomorrow morning, Saturday 22^nd of July from 10 am – 12.30 pm at Coburg Lake.  This planting is being run by Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds and Moreland City Council.  We will be revisiting the site we planted out last year, on and around the rocky outcrop between the toilets and the flying fox playground, at Coburg Lake Reserve, off DeChene Pde, Coburg North.  

Click on map link to see exactly where https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/37%C2%B043'57.4%22S+144%C2%B058'08.1%22E/@-37.7326111,144.966728,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d-37.732621!4d144.968916

It would be great if you can make it for all or part of the time.  If you can come please wear suitable clothing and sturdy closed shoes. Tools and equipment will be provided and the planting will be followed by light refreshments.

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow if you can make it.

Warm regards,

Emma.

Planting Day Saturday 22nd of July at Coburg Lake

Winter greetings!

Please join us for our one and only planting day this year on Saturday 22^nd of July from 10 am – 12.30 pm at Coburg Lake.  This planting is being run by Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds and Moreland City Council.  We will be revisiting the site we planted out last year, on and around the rocky outcrop between the toilets and the flying fox playground, at Coburg Lake Reserve, off DeChene Pde, Coburg North.

It would be great if you can make it for all or part of the time.  If you can come please wear suitable clothing and sturdy closed shoes.  Tools and equipment will be provided and the planting will be followed by light refreshments.

Look forward to seeing you on Saturday the 22^nd of July – the week before National Tree Day!  Please let me know if you would like me to text you a reminder the night before.

Warm regards,

Emma.

Mulching this Sunday

Late Spring greetings!

Our one last working effort for this year will be happening this Sunday 27^th of November at a site we - Friends of Coburg Lake and Surrounds - planted out a few years ago now.

Where: Corner of Sydney Rd and Bakers Rd, Coburg North, across from the No. 19 tram terminus

When: Sunday 27/11/16 from 3 – 4 pm

What: Laying down newspaper, cardboard and mulch around the established plants, plus a little bit of hand weeding

What to bring: Please bring any newspapers or cardboard boxes you might have to be placed under the mulch, buckets, wheelbarrows and pitch forks if they are easy enough for you to get there, gloves and sturdy footwear.

I hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you there.

Cheers,

Emma.